Carlton selected Orleans County’s first Community Heart & Soul model

Posted 11 April 2026 at 4:45 pm

Initiative will gather resident feedback, implement action plan

Press Release, Town of Carlton

CARLTON – The Town of Carlton is pleased to announce it has been selected by the Rochester Area Community Foundation and Community Foundation for Buffalo to be the first community to implement the Community Heart & Soul model in Orleans County, an initiative fully funded with grant support from Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

The program is designed to help build communities through a resident-driven process and take action on what matters most to residents.

The Community Heart & Soul model was developed over 10 years ago and has been recognized nationally by the American Planning Association as a successful approach to community planning and development. Community Heart & Soul doesn’t replace other community development and planning processes but complements existing initiatives to increase engagement and support for community-led programs and activities.

At the suggestion of Carlton Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbury and resident Penny Miller, a team of local residents met in December and January to assess what they love about living in the town of Carlton and what improvements they would like to see.

Representatives in attendance were from Carlton’s business and agriculture communities, town recreation leaders and members of the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association. The attendees’ suggestions included recreational enhancements to the town park such as basketball and pickleball courts as well as trails linking the east and west sides of the Oak Orchard River.

Infrastructure enhancements that were identified included a public sewer system and sidewalks, among other projects. Based on public input, town councilman Brian McCue drafted the application to be considered for the Community Heart & Soul designation for rural communities (population less than 25,000) which will receive seed funding, technical assistance and professional coaching over a period of approximately 18 months.

The core team leaders that were selected to begin implementing the program are Brian McCue, Heather Tabor, Lynne Menz, Penny Miller and Laura Bentley. Their core responsibility will be to carry out the 4 phases of the program:

Phase I – Imagine: build awareness, interest and commitment in all segments of the community;
Phase II – Connect: gather stories from residents to identity what matters most and what they love about their town;
Phase III – Plan: develop action plans to guide future town planning;
Phase IV – Act: get these plans adopted by town council and incorporate them into the comprehensive plan to be used for future policies and decisions.

For more information about Community Heart & Soul, visit www.communityheartandsoul.org. To be involved in the program, contact Penny Miller at 585-331-9292 or email penny@focmp.org.